What do swimming lanes help distinguish in process modeling?

Swimming lanes are a visual tool used in process modeling to differentiate the various roles or responsibilities of participants within a process. Each lane represents a specific actor, department, or function, making it clear who is accountable for each part of the process. This structure enhances clarity in the workflow, as stakeholders can easily see how tasks and decisions flow across different roles.

By organizing activities into lanes, process modelers ensure that responsibilities are clearly defined and that the interactions between different roles are well understood. This setup helps in identifying potential overlaps or gaps in responsibilities, thus improving overall process efficiency and accountability.

The other choices focus on elements that, while relevant to process modeling, do not capture the primary purpose of swimming lanes. Inputs and outputs refer to the data that enters and leaves a process; tasks and activities pertain to specific actions taken within the process; and processes and subprocesses describe the hierarchical structure of activities but do not address the assignment of roles and responsibilities. Therefore, the correct choice highlights the distinctive role of swimming lanes in clarifying organizational duties within a process model.